Has zipcar ever considered making one or two cars in a city into designated dog cars? I ask because of the following reasoning: - zipcar allows pets in the cars if they are in crates. - crates for dogs are expensive ($100-200) thus dog owners incur an extra use "penalty" - crates are difficult to carry to and from the zipcar - crates won't prevent every last piece of fur and dander from escaping, the real concern for those other members who have allergies - many dog owners may be interested in zipcar becuase it is almost impossible to transport your dog to the vet and elsewhere by taxi (most refuse)

I was thinking that if one wagon in Boston had a pet fence put in the back so that dogs could be confined to the cargo area then this could be the "Furry Focus Wagon" . . . anyone could use it but they would know it wasn't allergy free. It would be an incredible boon to those of us with sweet dogs who need to go to the vet or the groomer or just out for a romp in the park. I would definitely go out of my way to use it.

Does ZipCar have any sense of how many of its members have dogs and if they might be interested in such an option?

-- Anonymous, May 22, 2003

Answers

We strive to maintain a consistently high quality of service for all of our members. This means that all the cars are clean and well- maintained. We realize that it may be an inconvenience to some to keep their pets in carriers but we have no plans to change this rule.

-- Anonymous, May 27, 2003

I use zipcars to bring my cats with me on my weekend getaways. I always use a "crate," and I would expect other pet owners to do the same.

My cats are my responsibility, and getting a crate (for their sake as well as others) is just good zipkharma.

-- Anonymous, May 26, 2003

As a fellow dog owner I agree with Amy, unlike cats even small dogs can get too heavy for a carrier when you have to walk 3 blocks to get a car. And although Douglas makes an excellent point about responsibility, you will never find a small cat that weighs 30 pounds. I think we can all agree that cats are much more portable then dogs.

If Zipcar is concerned about loosing the penalties that they impose on people when the car is left with animal hair, they would be smart to designate a car and consider increasing the hourly rate of that car. Animal lovers and those who are dangerously allergic of animals alike would agree that would be a solution to keep all happy.

-- Anonymous, May 28, 2003

I like dogs as much as anyone else, but the problems they caused, or actually the dog's owner's caused, were offensive. And that's being polite about it.

I used to get Zipcars that were literally coated inside with dog hairs. Front seats, back seats, rugs, all covered with dog hairs. Nose prints on the glass surfaces, pawprints on the dash and upholstery. I didn't get a Zipcar in which the dog vomited, but someone must have. I had to vacuum the cars before I sat in them or the hairs would stick to my clothes.

Imagine arriving at a meeting in a suit covered with animal hairs and smelling like a sick dog. That would make a good impression on your customer or job interview.

I can't speak for Zipcar, but I doubt they care about penalties. That's probably not high on their list of priorities. But I hope Zipcar continues their policy of carriers for animals.

Art

-- Anonymous, May 29, 2003

My little companion is a cat. I absolutely understand the concerns of the dog owners. I don't understand why ZipCar is so against designating one vehicle as pet friendly.

I find it very funny because I esperience this same treatment when looking for an apartment. Many apartment buildings in the metro DC area (particularly newer buildings) make pet owners pay big time to rent their units. The average of what a person would pay for one pet would indlude a non-refundable pet fee of about 200 bucks, pet ren't averaging 25 bucks and what they call a one time fee of like 150 bucks.

All that money for a cat and the property does nothing for that pet. I joined ZipCar because I thought it was a viable alternative to having my own vehicle. But after reading the rules I realized that the very people that they want to attract, they also penalize to keep us from using the vehicles too much to keep the cars off the road. Further, the pet thing is just another slap in the face. One vehicle out of the many in the Metro DC area would not hurt Zipcar.

But it's for these specific reasons that I decided to purchase a new vehicle. ZipCar is a great service, but considering the drawbacks I might as well do it my own way.

-- Anonymous, June 05, 2003

I don't think that the people who were answering Amy's request in the negative are really answering the question. She did not say "I think that dog owners should not be required to use crates in zipcars". What she did was ask: "Can we get a zipcar that is geared toward pet owners?" Therefore, if you answer her by saying "Dogs are messy" you're just sort of leveling a general answer toward the topic of "dogs in cars". If zipcar had a specific "dog" car which charged more per hour and was cleaned more often, and if it was assumed that the people who would be using it were dog owners, and if people knew that's what the car was for, then it would render the whole idea that "dogs are messy" to be moot.

The real question is, are there enough people who would use a "dog" (or pet) car? In answer to Amy's question, I would probably not use such as a car (sorry). My fiancee and I have 2 cats who travel rarely and pretty much have to travel in crates as is. However, if many people say that they would use such a car then I urge zipcar to look into.

best wishes, Armand

-- Anonymous, June 05, 2003

Beyond the issue of how many pet owners would like a pet friendly car is the larger issue of where would the car be located. Frankly, I wouldn't want to be the "lucky one" who ends up with the "Furry Focus Wagon" most convenient to me. I too use ZipCar to shuttle folks to/from the airport. It's extremely embarassing to pop the back hatch/trunk and find pet hair everywhere.

-- Anonymous, June 10, 2003

I'm a dog owner and would definitely use a designated dog car if Zipcar were ever to offer one. I asked this same question when I first joined Zipcar almost two years ago, and never got any response. This non-dog-friendly attitude is my number one complaint with Zipcar, and will be the reason I eventually give up my membership and buy my own car.

-- Anonymous, June 16, 2003

i would love to have access to a pet-friendly (specifically dog- friendly) car and i can understand arguments on both sides. is it possible for zipcar to do a survey of members to see what demand would be in each zipcar location? in my neighborhood of brooklyn, the area is known for its large population of dog owners and dogs; we have several zipcars in brooklyn (and a couple of them in park slope where i live). it would probably be helpful for all to work with actual numbers to determine demand and tolerance of a pet-friendly vehicle.

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2003

As a Park Slope Zipcar member I would vote against a dog-friendly zipcar in a heartbeat. We have few enough cars as it is... they are constantly booked. I would hate to get stuck with the 'furry' car that smelled like dog, not to mention the fur! I completely understand Zipcar's perspective. Not putting your dog in a carrier (and I put mine in one) is the same as leaving its poop in front of my house, which happens way too often!

-- Anonymous, July 10, 2003

Unfortunately I think there are too many sub groups of people with their own preferences for Zipcar to start tailoring certain cars for certain user groups. If zipcar was to create a "Furry" car, then one could argue that first should come the "Baby Zipcar" with a pre- installed permanent car seat in the back (because there are more people with babies than dogs), or a "Home Depot" car with the back seats removed entirely to make for more storage space, and so on. (Let's not even bring up having a "Smokey the Zipcar".) But then you get the problem that people mentioned that a non-dog person does not want the doggy car nearest them, and someone who does not go to Home Depot does not want the backseat-less one near them, and so on. This is not a solvable problem, and one that can only be dealt with by not opening the can of worms in the first place.

So it is unfair to blame zipcar for a "hostile attitude" towards dogs when they are just a small company trying to find a middle ground for their diverse users. I think it is perfectly fair that animals of any kind are contained while within the car in order to limit their impact on the car. This is a compromise and its nothing worse than keeping cars smoke free.

To the issue about carrying crates and dogs three blocks to the car, I'd like to point out that those of us with kids pretty much always go and get the car first, bring it back home, and double park it for a minute or two while loading it up with the kids & bags. I think this is your route too.

-- Anonymous, July 15, 2003

Flawlessly put, that last response. And a sensibly and politely posed question, too. I would encourage interested, fellow Zippers to also consider the last contribution in a thread called "Snitch or No Snitch," which makes a number of important points, not withstanding its slightly self-righteous tone. As a dog-lover in the extreme who has no pets of her own (for now), I suggest this shortly before returning my first Zipcar, to which I first plan to give an enthusiastic cleaning, Not because it was spotless when I picked it up (it wasn't), but because the positive experience and valuable service it's provided so far, the do-unto- others vibe, and, well...okay, so I'm a little compulsive in that department: it's a very relaxing activity for me, too. But, like I said, I'm not chauffering any canines for the time being, so it's easy to be on all sides of the debate. (As a result, I'm not a very compelling debater, either)...Darn! This'd be a great one for The Ethicist-that New York Times advice columnist guy. Anybody good at writing in to those things? I just couldn't put as well as some of you Zippers have.... --W. Gabriel

-- Anonymous, September 14, 2004

Not having a Pet-friendly Zip car is the only reason I could not give up my own car. There is no reason NOT try a few pet friendly Zipcars. Put them in a place where there are 5 or more cars and see what happens. It doesn't hurt anyone who is allergic or doesn't care for animals and helps those that do.

The idea of a pet barrier in a wagon or SUV is a fine one. A better possibility still is to have a pickup with a cap, that way hair, etc. never gets into the passenger compartment. As far as the comment abouve about people trying to have their niche filled. In the city of Boston - over 60% of households own a pet - that's a pretty big niche. Only 30% have children of school age - you couldn't have one set up for kids as they all have different size car seats, depending on age. Not the case for pets. We do have the Home Depot Car - it's a truck or SUV. The smoking car is probably a bad idea as it devalues the car while a properly set up SUV, Wagon or pickup should suffer no devaluation.

I know also that I would be willing to pay a premium for this car - this seems to make the same car more profitable for the company with a small up front investment.

How about a reader poll, Zipcar? In this time of elections - let the people have a say!

This is the only reason I still have to keep my car and cannot switch full time to Zip.

-- Anonymous, October 04, 2004

>>It doesn't hurt anyone who is allergic or doesn't care for animals and helps those that do.

Um, yes, it _does_ "hurt" people who don't want to use the dog car, if it's the closest car to you, or your favorite model, or the only spot you can back out of without giving yourself a migraine. . .

-- Anonymous, October 05, 2004

Assuming the statistic about 60% of households owning pets is true, what fraction of those pets are too big to go in a carrier? Nationally, I believe cat-owners now outnumber dog-owners, and a lot of the dogs I see in the city are smaller than my 22-pound cat, who I regularly cart around to the vet in a carrier.

-- Anonymous, October 06, 2004

>>It doesn't hurt anyone who is allergic or doesn't care for animals and helps those that do. Um, yes, it _does_ "hurt" people who don't want to use the dog car, if it's the closest car to you, or your favorite model, or the only spot you can back out of without giving yourself a migraine. . .

It does NOT hurt anyone if they add a car (as suggested above) to an existing locations. i.e there are 5 cars at Sargent's Wharf in the North End. There may be a possibility to a 6th car which the pet- friendly car - not reducing the cars for everyone else. Non-pet people still have the EXACT same situation as before and the pet people have a car to use as well.

-- Anonymous, October 08, 2004

I agree with having designated "dog cars", preferably the station wagons with the gate in the back. I live in one of the five boroughs of NYC. In Manhattan I don't see a need for this since most people are walking distance from a vet and there are taxi's that will pick them up.

In Long Island City though, being that it is still not built up enough, there aren't any vets close enough to conveniently get to. And it is getting to the point that another vehicle is going to be needed over here. So why not a dog designated one.

AND EVERY PERSON THAT BRINGS THERE DOG IN THAT CAR MUST CLEAN IT UP AFTERWARDS OR BE PENALIZED. Zipcar gives out penalties for being late, why not for leaving the car a disgusting mess?

-- Anonymous, November 30, 2004

How about putting KIDS in a crate? They make mess too. I think the designated pet car would be an EXCELLENT idea.

-- Anonymous, January 20, 2005

I can understand the logic here and it makes a certain amount of sense. But realistically one has to ask not only "how many zipcar users (and potential zipcar users) are dog owners?" but "how often are their larger then crate size dogs being transported?" If in the end there is a financial justification (e.g. they don't lose money letting the car sit there most of the month) then perhaps it's a thought. Of course one other comment I read made some insightful comments. What about other needs? I'm sure there are more smoking zipcar members then large dog owning zipcar members. If the canines get catering how about the smokers? I know that many smokers would pay a premium to be able to smoke in their car. In the end I would have to agree with the sentiments expressed earlier. The policy is fine the way it is. And the idea of using the bed of the pick up for really large animals was especially good.

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2005